Vehicle-spring.



J. FROSIG &: L. W. WALSTROM. VEHICLE SPRING. APPLICATION I'ILED NOV. 18,1912.

1,076,414. Patented 0ct.21,1913.

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J '17" o 1 G Q w 0 WITNESSES: INVENTOH COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,WASHINGTON. n. c.

TTNTTE sans r FEE.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

LU'YGAIA.

Application filed November 18, 1912.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that we, JEFF Fnosre and LEE W.VVALs'rRoM, citizens of the United States, residing at Reno, in thecounty of lVashoe and State of Nevada, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements n Vehicle-Springs, of which the following 1s aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements in vehicle springs, andparticularly to an improvement in springs for automobiles.

The object of our inventionis to provide means whereby a limited amountof angular displacement between a vehicle body and its running gear maytake place, this movement being cushioned, that is to say opposed by aresilient force, while at the same time the same cushioning means willalso serve to re inforce the leaf springs, not suddenly but graduallyand increasingly.

The invention will be more fully understood after a consideration of thedescription hereinafter of one embodiment thereof taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying theinvention; Fig. 2 a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 a detail plan view ofthe bearing member; Fig. 1 an end elevation of the device shown in Fig.1, and Fig. 5 a central transverse section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, A is a com posite spring of the usual formcomprising a plurality of leaf springs of different lengths. These aresecured together by being fitted tightly at their central portions intosockets formed in a clip-member Z), which is connected by a suitablehinge joint to a bearing plate 6, arranged to be attached to the runninggear of the vehicle in any suitable way, as for example by means ofbolts and nuts, indicated at f.

The hinge connection between the clipmember Z) and the bearing plate 6is most advantageously arranged by providing the clip-member b with areduced portion which enters the space between two lugs forming part ofsaid bearing plate, a pintle pin d passing through the sald lugs and thesaid reduced portion.

Between the spring device a and the bearing-plate e is arranged a solidblock of resilient material such as rubber, the particular constructionand arrangement of this Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 21, 1913.

Serial No. 732,103.

resilient block, constituting an important feature of the presentinvention, as will now be described. This resilient block, indicated atc is provided at its ends with projecting portions 0 which may be termedfeet, which contact with the bearing plate, the portion of the resilientblock intermediate these feet being out of contact with the bearingplate 6, as will be clear from Fig. 1. It is to be observed that theinner walls of the end portions or feet c slope toward the clip-member bin such a way that the portions of the block nearest the clip-member areproperly supported by the feet. The resilient block 0 has an openingthrough which passes the clip-member b, which is polygonal incrosssection, in the present example, rectangular, and which completelyfills the said opening in the resilient block.

The result of the construction and arrangement of the resilient block asabove described is that when the spring a is deflected by shocks so asto tend to straighten out, it compresses the resilient block 0, theamount of the compression depending upon the amount of the deflection ofsaid spring a, the compression commencing nearest the clip-member b andon each side of the same and extending from these places outward towardthe ends of the blocks a, so that the more the spring a; is deflectedthe greater is the amount of support furnished to said spring a; by theblock 0, not merely by virtue of a greater compression of a given areaof the block 0, but also by a greater area of such block brought undercompression. This enables the block, although of a relatively smallsize, to give an important amount of support to the spring a and inproportion to the need for such support. In addition, however, to thesupport given by the block to the spring during the deflection of saidspring, the said block also acts as a resilient member to return theclip-member b to its intermediate or central position, as shown in Fig.1, when moved angularly about its pivot pin d, in which case the block 0is compressed only on that side toward which the clip-member b is moved.Besides the resistance of the block normal to the spring a, it alsoreacts resiliently against the clip-member b when the latter movesangularly, but owing to the inclined slope of the inner walls of thefeet, as above explained, this reaction is brought largely against theheir-ring piat'e' e inst'eitd of being a mere shearing stress on therubber. H Having thus fully described our inven- .tiOn, What We claimis:

1. In a vehicle spring device, the coinbinatien, ith: a substantiallyhorizontal bearing plate and a clip-member of poly onal cross-sectionhinged to seid plate, of a against the l'eafepri'ng d'evic e ate'achside of the clip-member; whe eby the resilient bloek reinforces theleeflspring device when the latter is flexed downward.

2. In avehicle spring device; the 00in bination, with at bearingqgjlatehevin g Gem trtl lugs and a elip mernber having a ref J du'eed portibnarranged between the Said lugs; a p'in't le passing through the saidlugs afid the s ztidreduced. portion whereby the clip-member is hingedto the bearing plate, v saidclip-inelnber having aspring-receiving'Opening and being pelygenal in cross-section, of a spring membercomprising a plurality of leaf-springs passing'through the opening inthe clip-member and extending opposite directions from said elip n'iein'her; end it resilientblock surrounding the clipdneniber and providedWith feet having their inner walls slopingtoward the clip member, saidresilient block fillingthiespace between the spring member the bearingI'Jl'qt' with its feet inponmct' with the latter.

Iii Witness-whereof We have hereunto af- JEFF FROSIG. .r

LEE W: WVAL'STROM.

Witnesses: I u 1 A BRENE'TTAQ DONEiN;

DODGE.

fixed our hands thisl2 day of November

